11Jan 13

As a football-shunning nipper in the 80s it seemed to me that an FA Cup Final song barged its way into the charts every year, swayed through the top ten full of song like a beery fan on a train carriage, and was gone. And looking at this Wikipedia page – a memento to the rise and fall of the genre – I was basically right.

By the time I got to University, my terribly narrow social circles were broadening a little, and football was gentrifying a lot, so I had friends who bought FA cup records. The songs themselves were no better than they had ever been, often – to the extent that they sounded ‘up to date’ – quite a bit worse. But why should they improve? Who would it benefit? To criticise a club song for its music would be like criticising a souvenir scarf for its insulating properties. Cup Final songs were souvenirs, and maybe something to fuel your sense of belonging and anticipation in the lead-up – “belonging” being the emotion these bluff, comradely, incompetent things managed best and most often.

The year before, one Arsenal fan had come back from town with a cassingle of the stupefying “Shouting For The Gunners” – an honest title, at least. He put it on repeatedly while we played point-and-click games on his PC, making us hunt through its bellowing wreckage for a forgotten fragment of tune. Next to that, “Come On You Reds” was Bacharach and David – and certainly it’s crafted enough to have all the elements you’d want in a Cup Final song. The dab-your-eyes reminder of past triumphs or tragedies. The noble attempt to make the current team roster scan. Yeomen of light entertainment doing their duty for the lads – a manful job by The Quo here. Only a decision to marinade the song in trebly, plastic keyboards spoils the mood.

It’s still terrible, but it’s the right kind of terrible, just about. Which doesn’t explain why it got to number one when the likes of “Ossie’s Dream” and “Anfield Rap” had fallen short. Its platonic incarnation of Cup Final hit-ness can’t explain that on its own. But consider that the friend who bought it had also bought an “Eric The King” duvet cover, and that he’d shown no interest in football at all the year before, and things become clearer. Man U and the Premiership were rising together, the club winning on the pitch and exploiting the new football audience and its hunger for stars. I’d also guess – though I still wouldn’t have cared enough to know – that England’s failure to qualify for USA 94 was good business for Man U, as a huge potential audience turned more of its eye on the domestic game. They weren’t yet the most popular club in the country, but they were hungry, many were young, and some walked like rock stars already. Pop rewards such things. Even I knew who Eric Cantona was.

#29 – Just to speak a bit about this point “the Irish jig element no doubt appealing to our nearest overseas fanbase”.

I would still say Liverpool are marginally the most popular premiership side in Ireland.lot of connections with our history of emigrants going to the area although I knew one or two that went to manchester aswell.

Liverpool supporters are largely those over 30 years old.

I was born in Limerick but even then it was nearly all Liverpool amongst our primary school.I can recall the same day of a neighbours 8th birthday party that coincided with liverpool winning the league beating QPR.I would say the support of the birthday crew was very much liverpool in the majority and would imagine any other party the same day were celebrating liverpools win as much as the kop.the support is still high in the area even though there was a couple of united die hards back then.

now living in cork city (home of one roy keane) im still amazed at the devotion to anfield by some when utd would be the obvious team to follow given keanes assocation with the club and to a lesser extent the 20 year domination.

that said the last time liverpool won the league in 1990 which of course helped the fanbase grow but 2 other significant events happened the same year. ireland made the world cup quarter finals with staunton,whelan and houghton plying their trade with the pool (as was aldridge the season before) and cork won the double in the national sports hurling and gaelic football wearing red and white shirts a la the pool – only the second time it ever happened in 100 years.for any young fans around this area it may have been a factor so in essence the reason for the devotion to the pool in the 30+ crowd.its been downhil ever since (bar 2005) but they still are passionate about the club which is admirable.

united support has become bigger you wont be surprised to hear but having watched liverpools champions league win in the pub back in 2005 and uniteds win in 2008 the liverpool one was the busier and most emotional by a country mile.and i dont support either.

I dont know if you ever heard this but there was a song made in Ireland back in 1996 that was number 1 in the Irish charts the same year.roughly around the same time as euro 96 so Ireland missing out on the tournament in a way could have led to this.terrible but similar to the record being debated.

Re – 39 “Q: Which act had a top 10 in 1985, changed the WHOLE LINE UP, and had a No1 in 1994?
A: Manchester Utd.

Pretty rare feat I thought but Punctum at 2 mentions Bryan Robson’s inclusion, -I thought he’d left by then- and after the chore of watching the video he is there, so that ruins that one.”

If I was ever going to make a first post on here, it was bound to be a football pedant one. As well as Robbo (who was left off the bench in what could have been a final bow-out before he left to manage Boro), Mark Hughes played in both the 1985 and 1994 cup finals, so was presumably on the records.

Clayton Blackmore was also on the books until 1994, so may well have added his own Welsh tones to the choir despite being well down the pecking order at those points in his career.

Anyways – despite my United obssession being at an absolute apex in 1994 (Cantona was God to this very unhappy 13-year-old), I didn’t consider spending what little cash I had on it. However, compared to the absolute tosh we came out with in 1996, it sounds worthy of Holland-Dozier-Holland.

Thanks for the further info. I stopped looking after Robson to be honest. I know Mark Hughes is on the cover of this one and I’ll take your word about 1985. Interestingly there is no performance credit on the sleeve for COYR about any individual, apart from Jonathan Pearce the commentator. I don’t know what Mr Blackmore looks like so I can’t confirm or deny that one.

While we await the second coming of Reg Presley to Popular, I have another track identification challenge/appeal for help:“Screaming and shouting, no one is watching”
Can anyone identify this vaguely goth-y, vaguely synthpop-y, vaguely darkwave-y piece? Tunatic, Midomi, Shazam, Soundhound, youtube’s copyright layer, and general lyrics-googling have all drawn blanks. And it’s driving me quite batty that I can’t place the all-too-familiar voice!

And meanwhile, as we mourn Reg Presley’s unscheduled and terminal inability to read his own eulogy, another link in the Populista chain was closed at the King’s Head in Moscow Road, Bayswater on Friday night when erithian and my good self enjoyed a couple of beers, a shared plate of fish and chips, and various items of verbal mutiny and sedition.

Your northern correspondent’s eyes are still smarting at the price of beer in London. Though not, oddly enough, the price of dodgy kebabs which cost much the same as they do up here.

#67
I think I’ve got it ! I think it’s Our Daughter’s Wedding – there’s a track called “No One’s Watching” at the end of their mini-LP “Digital Cowboy” from whence came bonkers near-hit “Lawnchairs” in 1981 which your track resembles.

Twas Gubba who was sat behind the goal during the 1985 Cup Final. When Norman Whiteside clipped in the winner, Tony rolled onto his back in celebration. I always felt that Gubba suffered from having been chosen to take over the Sportsnight mantle from David Coleman. An impossible act to follow and I’m afraid that “Sportsnight with Gubba” just didn’t take.

The worst thing about this is, if you listen to the Top 40 of which COYR made its debut in traditional order (April 30), the next track up is Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge. I’m sure many would agree, however much the Chilis have offended British cultural sensibilities over the years, it’s a leap from the ridiculous to the sublime.

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